Medical devices are frequently used to treat the anatomy of patients. Such devices can be permanently or semi-permanently implanted in the anatomy to provide treatment to a patient. Frequently, these devices, including stents, grafts, stent-grafts, anastomotic connectors, filters, valves, occluders, markers, mapping devices, therapeutic agent delivery devices, prostheses, pumps, bandages, and other endoluminal and implantable devices, are inserted into the body at an insertion point and delivered to a treatment site using a catheter.
Anastomotic connectors can be used to join natural lumens, such as blood vessels, and/or artificial lumens, such as grafts and stent-grafts. Such devices can, for example, assist in the repair or replacement of blood vessels.
The use of anastomotic connectors can pose potential issues. Such complications can be reduced or alleviated by providing an anastomotic connector that is implanted in the body of the patient and can dissolve or degrade after a set period of time.